A baby cane toad tadpole
Two years ago, a trial of cane toad traps successfully eliminated "every single tadpole in a couple of days" from ponds at Marrara Golf Course.
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News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
La Trobe researchers warn gazania garden plant sold at Bunnings is ‘highly invasive'
A popular garden plant sold at Bunnings is even more invasive and potentially dangerous to Australia's natural environment than originally thought, new research has revealed. La Trobe scientists, writing in the Frontiers journal, warn that gazania daisies, a brightly coloured ornamental plant sold in nurseries nationwide, is a 'highly-invasive plant' that is beginning to impact grain production and grasslands across southern Australia. The plant can germinate and thrive in almost all conditions, the report shows, regardless of moisture, temperature or salinity levels. 'Due to its flexible growth requirements, gazania is now widespread and naturalised in a variety of habitats including coastal sand dunes, stream banks, wastelands, open grasslands, along roadsides and on cultivated and irrigated sites,' the report states. 'While gazania has long been considered as an environmental weed in Australia, a trend of 'jumping the fence' has been observed in recent years, infesting grain crop production fields in low-rainfall regions of South Australia. 'The presence of gazania in cropping fields is proving highly problematic, with farmers finding it difficult to control with common herbicides.' The researchers warn the weed is now 'rapidly spreading' across Australia and urgent long-term management strategies are needed to control the invasion. Gazania is native to South Africa and was introduced into Australia in the 1950s and 1970s. Invasive Species Council advocacy manager Imogen Ebsworth said the daisies should be banned from sale immediately. 'Gazanias are the perfect example of an escaped invasive garden plant that needs to be banned from sale,' she said. 'They are already banned in South Australia, but it's clear we need them pulled nationally. 'I urge the nursery industry to act on this new evidence and stop selling it … we've seen this story unfold far too many times. Ornamental plants that turn into unstoppable weeds, costing us billions in control efforts and wiping out native species in the process.' The council estimates more than 30,000 plant species have been imported into Australia for gardening, but 'fewer than a quarter' have been assessed nationally for their weed risk. Weeds cost the country more than $5bn a year in agricultural and environmental damage, the council said, with 'escaped' ornamental plants making up more than 70 per cent of the country's environmental weeds. Garden plants can escape and germinate in the wild via garden waste, lawn clippings and seed dispersal. Bunnings continues to sell gazanias, NewsWire has confirmed. According to the retail giant, each state and territory has its own list of declared weeds and laws and regulations for invasive weeds. The plants Bunnings sells across its stores differ depending on where they are sold and their declaration status. 'Like many nurseries and retailers, we sell a wide range of locally sourced plants across our stores and we work hard to create an assortment that caters to customer preferences and demand,' Bunnings director of merchandise Cam Rist said. 'As always, we closely follow all relevant local biosecurity regulations and the advice of regulators about the plants we sell.' The plant is also sold at other nurseries, including online marketplaces. The council argues 'self-regulation' has not worked and wants a federal government response. 'We've spent decades relying mainly on self-regulation, which just doesn't work,' Ms Ebsworth said. 'You can still legally buy plants that are banned in neighbouring states or overseas. 'Unless governments act, we'll keep selling the next lantana, the next gazania, straight into our backyards and bushland.'
ABC News
14 hours ago
- ABC News
Exercise could extend life after a colon cancer diagnosis
Something as simple as an exercise program post-chemotherapy could significantly increase the risk of survival in colon cancer. A 17-year randomised-controlled trial found a 37 per cent lower risk of death in patients who participated in the three-year program. This compared to a group that received exercise advice but didn't receive structured support. Guest/s Professor Janette Vardy, professor of cancer medicine at the University of Sydney Professor Janette Vardy, professor of cancer medicine at the University of Sydney Professor Haryana Dhillon, professor of psycho-oncology at the University of Sydney References
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
‘Overwhelmed': Major breakthrough from Aussie researchers in HIV study
Australian researchers have found a way to force the HIV virus out of hiding within cells, opening the way to eradicate the virus from the body. The human immunodeficiency virus is able to hide within white blood cells, presenting a serious roadblock for scientists pursuing a cure. Research from Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, published in late-May, says work towards a cure is one step closer. The next hurdle is analysing whether revealing the virus allows the body's immune system to fight off the virus or if additional treatments need to be combined. 'In terms of specifically the field of HIV cure, we have never seen anything close to as good as what we are seeing in terms of how well we are able to reveal this virus,' co-author Paula Cevaal told the Guardian. 'We were overwhelmed by how night-and-day difference it was – from not working before, and then all of a sudden it was working. And all of us were just sitting gasping like, 'Wow'.' The HIV that hides in white blood cells can reactivate. The Peter Doherty Institute researchers used custom-made fat bubbles to deliver mRNA into cells where HIV is hiding. The mRNA tells the cells to reveal the virus. Messenger RNA is a molecule that contains instructions for cells to make a protein. The technology rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic. People with HIV have to take medication for their entire life to suppress the virus, avoid symptoms and to stop transmission to other people. About 30,000 Australians live with HIV. In 2023, 722 new cases were reported to health authorities. Globally, in 2023, an estimated 500,000 to 820,000 people died from HIV-related causes.
